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Portland Business Journal: Portland State President Wim Wiewel on the need for urban renewal

Author: Matthew Kish

Posted: March 12, 2014

Read the original article and see the video from the Portland Business Journal here.

Mayor Charlie Hales wants to overhaul the city's urban renewal program and steer more money to the city and county while refocusing the program on blighted areas, as it was originally intended.

If that happens, a $169 million urban renewal area around Portland State could go away before it starts kicking off any cash.

In an exclusive interview on Monday with the Business Journal, Portland State President Wim Wiewel talked about the importance of the urban renewal area and his disappointment that it could go away.

The state has ambitious goals of getting bachelor's degrees in the hands of 40 percent of Oregonians, an associate degree or a credential in 40 percent and a high school diploma or equivalent in the remaining 20 percent.

In order to hit its part of that goal, Portland State needs to add space. Its classroom utilization is the highest of the state's seven public universities. It doesn't have as many levers to pull as the University of Oregon or Oregon State, which have big endowments, a roster of wealthy donors and the ability to attract high-tuition-paying out-of-state students.

In the video, Wiewel talks about the importance of the urban renewal area to Portland State's ability to hit its 40-40-20 goal.